Reviewed by Tony Cummings

When I first encountered this six-song album (one song is VERY long) I was keen to put it on the stereo. Rupie Edwards! The man who gave us "Ira Feeling", the amazing, hypnotic roots reggae hit single which landed our man a pop hit and a spot on the telly's Top Of The Pops where bemused UK session men struggled to replicate the undulating groove of Rupie's Cactus Records single. Rupie Edwards! The man whose highly unlikely UK pop hit had once entranced my girlfriend and me so that we played it on repeat for an entire evening! Rupie Edwards! Who years on apparently now owns a record shop in London's East End and recorded, produced and released a series of 'Sweet Gospel' CDs boldly declaring faith in Jesus flying in direct confrontation to all those Rastafarian prophets with their Haile Selassie nonsense and their ganja as a sacrament practices. My excitement and expectation disappeared the moment I put 'Sweet Gospel Vol 4' on the stereo. The self-written songs are poor, apart from the hymn "Blessed Assurance" sung (rather badly) at funeral tempo. Also, the backing tracks are positively skeletal, often consisting of little more than a thudding synth drum and a booming bass. And dullest of all is a preaching with rhythm track "Citation Bible Lesson Vol 1" which goes on and on for a painful 20 minutes, 42 seconds. "Ira Feeling" was a work of near genius. 'Sweet Gospel Vol 4' is a dire farrago, utterly missing the potential of putting a life-changing message to reggae rhythms. What a disappointment.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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